Madmen and Immortals
by kaiju3
Summary: Two brilliant minds must fight it out before dealing with their respective enemies. But will the combined might of The Doctor and The Batman be enough to fight The Master and Ra's al Ghul?
1. Prologue

It was a typical night in Gotham City. A pure black sky hung over the buildings that scraped it, the lights blocking out the stars. Cars sped down the streets, never wanting to stay in one place for long. Homeless sat at every street corner.

And in a shady alleyway, a man stared down the barrel of a gun.

"Best give me your money, old man, and no one'll get hurt." The man holding the pistol threatened, his words slightly muffled by the clown mask he was wearing.

"Okay j-just don't h-hurt me." The old man stuttered, sweat running down his forehead. He looked as if he was about to have a heart attack as he reached into the pocket of his trenchcoat and pulled out his wallet.

The clown man yanked the leather wallet from the old man's hands and quickly checked it. His eyes narrowed behind the holes of his mask as he shouted, "There aint anything in here! You tryin to cheat me?"

"N-no!" The old man answered desperately. "I just don't have any cash on me. My c-credit cards are still in there…"

"I need cash, old man!" The clown man snarled, pressing his pistol against the old man's head. "Now I gotta kill ya."

"N-no!"

A blinding light suddenly filled the alley. With a cry of surprise, both men covered their eyes, the intense glow practically burning their eye sockets. For several seconds, the light dominated the narrow alley before it slowly disappeared.

The clown man was the first to drop his arm and look. As faint bits of white electricity arced through the air randomly, scattering pieces of trash around, a ragged man kneeled in the middle of the concrete. He was dressed in a tattered grey hoodie, his hair also withered and grey.

The man clutched at his face, looking like he was sobbing in pain.

"What the…" The clown man began.

The ragged man suddenly raised his head. His face was crazed, his eyes wide and his mouth set in a drooling snarl. Energy illuminated his body, blinking his body from an x-ray of a laughing skeleton to a normal human with skin and back again until it finally settled on human. It was like someone had taken an inmate from Arkham and plugged him into an electrical socket on cartoons.

"The drumming," The crazed man sobbed, pressing against his temples as if a bomb was going off inside his brain. "It's still there. Why is it still there?"

This was bad, the clown man thought. He was just trying to take an old man's money. He didn't want to deal with any super-powered bullshit.

"Hey, you!" The clown man shouted, pointing his pistol at the crazed man. "You picked the wrong alley to teleport in, you fu—"

The crazed man's eyes suddenly darted to the clown man. Gritting his teeth, he growled, "I'm still…hungry."

"Yeah, well, you're not going to be worrying about food for much longer." The clown man taunted.

The crazed man grinned a tooth-filled smile. "You're right."

Impossibly fast, the man jumped up from his kneeling position and grabbed at the clown man's shirt, holding him up and slamming his against the nearby brick wall. The force was enough for the clown man to lose his grip on the pistol, the gun clattering to the concrete ground.

"W-what're you doing, man?" The clown man whimpered, his voice not unlike the old man's just a few moments ago.

"Don't call me 'man'". He said, his insane smile still plastered onto his face. "My name is…The Master!"

With a demonic laugh, The Master's body lit up once more with an x-ray effect and the clown man spasmed in pain. As the life energy flowed from the clown man to The Master, he couldn't help but notice the look in the crazed man's eyes was not unlike his boss's. The gleam of murderous delight that only the Joker could replicate.

The clown man gasped one last breath before his body went limp. The Master sighed in delight as he dropped the mugger to the ground, like he had just taken the first sip of a Coke. As he turned to the side, he almost laughed when he saw the old man now pointing the dropped pistol at him, the gun shaking in the old man's grip.

"You're n-no hero." The old man stammered, trying to steady his grip as he backed away. "You're just as bad as the J-J-Joker."

"The Joker?" The Master chuckled, holding up an open palm. "Trust me when I say that when it comes being bad…"

A beam of electric energy fired from his hand, striking the old man in the chest. The man's skeleton was visible through the skin as he screamed in pain before he sprawled to the ground. The old man's lifeless eyes stared up at the night sky as his muscles went through their final death spasms.

The Master stood over his victim's corpse and smiled down at it.

"…I'm The Master."


	2. Act 1 Chapter 1

The sound of keys skimming over piano strings hummed through the damp air as a blue telephone box slowly shifted from visible to invisible. The dust around the police box was blown away when the TARDIS finally stopped and materialized on an old walkway. The creak of rusty hinges echoed as an oddly-dressed man walked out, followed by a ginger-haired woman in a short skirt.

"Doctor, where are we?" Amy Pond asked, her eyes scanning her surroundings in confusion.

"Well Amy," The Doctor began, talking in short bursts as if he had to announce every word he said. "It appears we are in some sort of…cave."

A rather large cave at that. The stone ceiling rose high, large enough to hold at least four school buses stacked up on their noses. Railed pathways and balconies lined the walls, each leading off into separate facilities inside the cave. Looking over the railing, the Doctor could see a large, black car sitting in the center and behind it…

"Is that a computer?" Amy pointed, eyes wide at the sheer size of it.

"A SUPER-computer!" The Doctor clapped his hands and laughed, grinning with his trademarked child-on-christmas-day excitement he always showed whenever he saw something new. Making sure his bowtie was on straight, the Doctor ran toward a nearby set of stairs and began hurriedly descending them. Amy followed close behind, a worried frown broadcasting her uncertainty.

Jumping over a nearby console, the Doctor slid into the chair in front of the computer and immediately began examining its keyboard.

"Oh, how I love buttons." The Doctor smiled, gliding his fingers over the various keys. "Never know what's going to happen, but you know something will."

"Doctor, I wouldn't touch that." Amy warned.

"Now Amy, where's the fun in that?" The Doctor asked before pressing a random key.

The lights instantly went out.

The two froze in place. The dark was thick, so depressingly dim the Doctor couldn't see his own hand frantically waving in front of his eyes.

"Well this isn't good." The Doctor mumbled. "Amy, don't move while I try to figure out how to fix this mess that I totally did not just cause."

No response.

"Amy?" The Doctor cried out. "If you're there, do one of those sarcastic quips you never seem to be in short supply of."

Still silence.

Fumbling in his coat pocket, the Doctor hurriedly took out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the computer. The tool sent out a light green glow, illuminating a few keys on the keyboard and nothing else, while its whirring competed with the Doctor's heavy breathing. After a few seconds of scanning, the Doctor held the screwdriver up to his eye.

"Remote shutdown." The Doctor mumbled to himself. "Someone doesn't want me looking at their files."

"Doctor!"

The Time Lord leaped out of the chair, waving the screwdriver around to find his companion. The screwdriver's glow proved weak, unable to illuminate anything more than a foot away. Anything that was in range was covered in a sickly green glow, only adding to the creepiness of the situation.

The Doctor wasn't a fan of the dark. In fact, he was downright terrified of it. Anything could lurk in its shadows, and he had experience in finding out just what did. But the dark was no reason to break down and stop functioning. He was the Doctor, after all.

"Doctor…"

He heard it again, only this time it was a whisper. He stopped in his tracks. Slowly, as if under the eyes of a predator, the Doctor pointed his screwdriver directly above him…to see Amy Pond dangling from a rope by her feet. Amy's face was plastered with fear as she silently mouthed two words.

Behind you.

A large shadow suddenly covered the man in the bowtie. The Doctor turned around at a snail's pace, sonic screwdriver now pointed ahead of him. As he finally turned back to the computer, he could see a large man standing over him, the now-glowing computer screen behind the figure hiding his features. The screwdriver revealed only one thing.

A bat insignia on his chest.

"Hello." The Doctor said as nonchalantly as he could. "I'm the Doctor."

"I'm Batman." The man growled before letting loose a sucker punch.


	3. Act 1 Chapter 2

His body was betraying him.

Though he had certainly been at this state many times before, he had never succumbed to the frailty of age so fast. Already, his skin was wrinkling and his hair was greying. His limbs were weak, too weak to move. He could barely stand, much less walk without assistance.

This was what Ra's al Ghul had been reduced to. The leader of the League of Assassins, now having to be carried down the long, dark hallways of their base by his own daughter. Humiliating.

"Do not worry, father." His daughter, Talia, whispered into his ear as she dragged him along. "The Lazarus Pit is near."

The Lazarus Pit. The only reason he was still alive today. Found centuries ago, a young Ra's al Ghul had discovered the pit's almost magical powers of restoration. With only one submersion, a person could be restored to the prime of their youth.

But it was not immortality. Ra's could feel the pit's power waning, the various times he had swum in its pool taking an unforeseen tax on him. His body became older faster. Hallucinations appeared at random. He was losing control of his psyche.

"Kill me now, Talia." Ra's moaned, his voice hoarse and unrecognizable. "Kill me, and take over the League."

"Not yet." Talia whispered. "Not before He does."

His wrinkled brow furrowed at the mention of him. Batman, the only man capable of taking over Ra's al Ghul's legion of assassins. Night and vengeance incarnate, Ra's knew the detective would lead his organization into a new era and usher in a new age of prosperity. But his moral kept him from killing Ra's.

It was ridiculous, Ra's thought as he let loose another bout of raucous coughs. He was giving Batman the keys to the kingdom, and yet he refused.

But the time for thinking was over. After descending dozens of stairs, they had arrived to the Pit itself.

His minions, dressed in the black cloaks of the league, stood on the ledges of the cave walls, rising to the top of the ceiling hundreds of feet in the air. A hole filled with a bubbling, green liquid sat in the middle, illuminating the cavern with a sickly, green glow. Where the Pit's light didn't touch, torches lined the walls, casting large, flitting shadows across the stone.

"It is time." Ra's al Ghul croaked. "Bring me to it."

He no longer had control of his legs, leaving his daughter to drag him the rest of the way. The two shuffled down a ramp carved into the stone before they reached the edge of the Lazarus Pit.

"Now."

Talia let go, dropping Ra's into the pool with a splash.

The healing waters enveloped him, soaking into his pores. Already, he could feel his bones and muscles strengthening. His skin became smoother, his hair gaining color once again. His senses went into overdrive, working as if a curtain that had been cast over him had been taken away. Sweet pain flowed through his veins as his body burned itself back to working order.

He floated there, submerged in the Pit for what must have been minutes but felt like centuries. As his lungs began to burn, he knew it was time.

The League of Assassins watched as their leader emerged from the Lazarus Pit with a loud gasp for breath. Like a lion emerging from its cave, Ra's al Ghul climbed out of the pool, his youth restored once again.

A weight had been cast off. Ra's al Ghul was once again at the prime of his life. Unsheathing his sword, he held the weapon in the air to a chorus of cheers.

"The time for waiting is over." Ra's al Ghul spoke, his voice carrying throughout the entire cavern. "It is now time to act. Under the shadows of night, we shall reduce the city of Gotham to ruins. And when the sun rises, it shall find only one thing left standing."

He punched his other fist into the air for emphasis.

"The League of Assassins!"


	4. Act 1 Chapter 3

It didn't make any sense.

On the outside, it was an ordinary 1960's British police box. But, as Batman sat in front of his Batcomputer and studied the readings blazing across the monitor like a multicolored tidal wave, he could see it was anything but.

He swiveled around in his chair to get a better look. He had attached sensors of all kinds to the blue box, with hundreds of wires running to the various machines around it. They all said the same thing in different ways; whatever was inside had immeasurable power. And no matter how hard he tried, the police box remained locked and closed.

"What are you?" He wondered aloud.

Batman kept his focus on the blue box even as someone stepped out from behind it. The figure was in his early twenties, wearing a black mask over his eyes and a black-and-blue costume.

"Whatever this thing is, it got past our security pretty easily." Nightwing stated, leaning over and knocking against the wood with his fist. "Maybe we should upgrade it."

"It didn't get in through any of the entrances." Batman explained, still staring at it with the same analytical wonder. "It just…appeared here."

He swiveled back around to the Batcomputer and opened up the Batcave's security footage. A grainy black-and-white video soon popped up, a recording of the blue box slowly appearing out of thin air on the walkway.

"So it's not just a telephone booth." Nightwing whistled, walking up to the chair's shoulder.

"It's not." Batman grunted. "And I'm no closer to finding out what it is."

"Maybe we're asking the wrong question." Nightwing shrugged, still studying the footage as the man and the woman came out of the police box. "Maybe it's not what it is, but rather, who are they?"

"That's what I intend to find out." Batman answered, pulling on his cowl as he stood up from his seat.

"Play nice in there!" Nightwing called out, cupped hand hiding a smile. When Batman had walked out of sight, the young hero crouched over the keyboard and turned on the holding cell security cameras.

"Oh, this is going to be good."

…

…

…

There came times when Arkham wasn't enough. Always temporarily, there came times when Batman would use these holding cells to imprison people in special circumstances, whether they were under some new disease that needed to be studied, had powers that would need a specialized cell in the asylum…or intruded into the Batcave.

It was a simple design, a short, white hallway with seven cells, three on each side with a seventh at the end of the room. Instead of bars, each cell kept their prisoner shut in by a sealed door of bulletproof glass.

Glass that the man in the bowtie was now throwing himself against in a desperate attempt to get out. His companion noticed Batman just before the man in the bowtie did. As soon as he realized his captor was present, the man stopped tackling the glass and composed himself.

"So, come back to punch me in the jaw again, eh?" He smiled, pressing his hands and face against the cell door. "Well too bad! Now there's a layer of really, REALLY hard glass between us."

As the man in the bowtie stopped to rub his shoulder in pain, Batman asked, "Who are you?"

"I told you," He responded with a grin, "I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor."

A codename. So Gotham had yet another crazy supervillain to contend with. From his accent, Batman could tell he was British, as was his ginger-haired companion.

"Now would you mind letting us out, you costume-wearing freak?" The red headed one in the miniskirt snapped from the cell across from the Doctor's.

"Now Amy, it isn't nice to call people names." The Doctor lectured her.

"Well look at him!" Amy gestured. "He looks like a kid on Halloween!"

Batman ignored her and turned back to the Doctor. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, Amy and I travel around, looking to go on adventures and have some fun here and there." The Doctor explained as casually as if he was talking to a friend. Despite his situation, he still stood tall and relaxed.

"And you decided to have an adventure in my cave?"

"Well, the TARDIS is a bit difficult to fly at times." The man in the bowtie grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So that's what you call your police box."

"Yes, and I do hope you've been taking care of her. Now," The Doctor rubbed his hands, "When are you going to release us?"

"After you answer my questions." Batman answered, glaring at him. "I'm not going to let you back on the streets of Gotham without knowing if I'd have to catch you mugging innocent people."

But he already knew. That gleam of insanity in the Doctor's eyes that he had seen a million times more in another's…this man would be just like him. He even carried himself in the same way, standing confidently when he was still and shaking his limbs around when he was talking.

He had thought he'd been rid of the Joker; and yet here he was, standing in front of him in an entirely new form.

"Fair enough." The Doctor shrugged. "Could I at least have my sonic screwdriver back?"

Batman pulled out the silver device from his utility belt and stared at it while he spoke.

"This sonic screwdriver…it uses sonic waves to interact with objects."

"Yes, I'm well aware of what it does…"

"Something we're years away from creating." Batman cut him off. "How did you get your hands on this technology?"

"You don't have one?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow, surprised. "The man with the secret cave lair, a car, and a supercomputer doesn't have a sonic?"

Batman glared at him. "Stop playing games."

"You apparently don't have any fun either."

He was stalling.

"Alright, we're ready." The redhead behind Batman whispered. Turning around, the caped crusader caught of glimpse of her closing a cellphone before she could hide it.

"Where did you—."

The cell doors opened all at once. The redhead dodged to the side just as the Doctor jumped out from his cell and shoved Batman into her cell. As he fell to the ground, she managed to grab the sonic screwdriver from his hand before running out. With the fury of a panther, Batman spun and leaped at the two just as the cell door closed again, his fist bouncing off the glass.

He was trapped in his own prison.

The Doctor yanked the phone from Amy's hand and shouted, "Good job Rory! Didn't know you had it in you!"

Rory? There was another one?

"Doctor, we need to go." Amy shook his arm.

"Good idea."

The two ran out the door, leaving the caped crusader alone in his cell. Punching the glass in a rage, he seethed through the humiliation to realize what he now had to do. Whoever this Doctor was, whatever his goals were, wherever he got his technology…

He had to be stopped.


	5. Act 1 Chapter 4

Rory steeled himself as his hand grasped the door handle. Of course, he had to stay behind in the TARDIS to get dressed. Of course, the Doctor and Amy had gotten themselves into trouble. And, of course, Amy had just enough time to text him that they were in trouble before that freakish man in the bat costume whisked them off deeper into his lair.

He had seen it all from the TARDIS viewport, watching on a screen as his friends were taken. Watching as the bat guy and his companion attached wires and sensors to the time machine. Watching as, finally, after hours of staring at that computer, the bat guy slinked away, leaving only his companion to watch the computer.

Now was his chance.

"Of course it's my job to rescue them." Rory grumbled under his breath as he inched the TARDIS door open. "I swear, I'm going to deck that man."

Through the crack in the doorway, all Rory could see was the supercomputer with footage of the Doctor and Amy's holding cells on the screen. The glow from the monitor cast everything in a light blue light, although the TARDIS was unchanged. A figure was hunched over the keyboard (the bat guy's companion, Rory recalled), looking up at the surveillance video.

Rory gulped. His hand clenched on the pipe he was carrying. As slowly as possible, he opened the door just a little further. This was it, he thought as he eased out of the TARDIS. With the lightest of feet, Rory crept up to behind the young man. The boy seemed concentrated on the holding cell video, watching as his partner walked in and interrogated Rory's friends. Gritting his teeth, Rory held the pipe over his head, ready to send it crashing down…

A baton appeared in the kid's hand. With the press of a button, the baton suddenly extended into a staff, slapping Rory's wrist and causing him to drop his pipe and send the weapon clattering to the steel floor. As Rory jumped back and rubbed his wrist in pain, Nightwing turned around to glance at the intruder and smirked.

"You didn't really think you'd be able to sneak up on me, didja?" He asked.

Rory's eyes went wide, "Uh…well…"

He turned and sprinted back to the TARDIS. In hot pursuit, Nightwing leaped out of his chair and threw a batarang just as Rory tried to close the door. The batarang stuck into the door hinge with a _thunk_, keeping it open. Through the small crack the batarang kept open, the former boy wonder could see the intruder panic before turning around and running deeper into the police box.

But wait, Nightwing thought as he dashed to the machine, the thing's only a few feet around. Where's he running to?

The vigilante got his answer just as he threw open the door. With a gasp, Nightwing stopped in his tracks and stood in stunned silence.

"It's…it's bigger on the inside." He whispered, dropping his baton to the floor.

Much bigger. A coral pattern covered the yellow walls, stretching up at least 30 feet in the air. Stairs led up to the center platform, where a computer console with all kinds of levers, knobs, and buttons circled around a glass tube with a giant bell inside. The whole thing looked advanced, much too advanced for human beings to create. It was impossible…and yet here he was.

Who were these people?

Rory stayed hidden underneath the central platform, hidden crouched amongst the tangles of wires and couplings connecting to the console. He held his breath as the vigilante took in the TARDIS interior. It wasn't unlike how everyone else reacted. Still, he could stand to hurry up and come to terms with it so he'd stop standing there and walk away from the door.

But then what would Rory do? He could try to lose him through the TARDIS hallways, but even Rory didn't know where they all led yet. He could try to fight the boy, but judging from how he sensed Rory coming and the skill he used with his weapons, he probably had training in all manners of ways to take people down. Any attempts to create a distraction would just give away his position. There had to be a way…

Rory's eyes were drawn to the dropped Bo staff.

Rory tensed up and weaved his way through the thick wires. Moving as quietly as he could, he watched s Nightwing climbed up the stairs to the platform. It wouldn't be long before he was right above Rory, only needing to look down through the glass floor to see him. He held his breath, waiting for the perfect moment.

Now.

Like a rabbit from its hole, Rory darted out from under the platform and sped for the door. Behind him, Nightwing instantly vaulted over the railing and chased after him. Rory puffed out a chain of scared breaths before ducking to grab the Bo staff off the floor. As quick as he could, he stepped outside the TARDIS, turned around toward his pursuer, and slammed the doors shut.

He felt the impact as the vigilante tried to force the door open. Pushing against the door, Rory held up the Bo staff and slit it through the door handles before stepping back and watching as it kept the door shut tight from the outside, trapping Nightwing inside the TARDIS. Once he saw the staff would hold, Rory put his hands on his knees and sighed in relief.

"He's not going to like that." Rory shook his head, imagining how the Doctor would react once he realized Rory left someone in his time machine. Oh well, he'd get over it.

Remembering what he had to do, Rory turned around toward the supercomputer. Surveillance video was playing on the screen of the Doctor and Amy trapped in prison cells. The Doctor was talking to the man in the bat costume, keeping him busy, but the bat guy wouldn't stay there long. Rory needed to act fast.

Sitting himself down into the swivel chair, Rory quickly took the mouse in his hand and searched for some way to save his friends. The computer's system was complicated to say the least, much more complicated than the laptop Rory had at home. Luckily, the holding cell window was up, left open after the bat guy used it to place the Doctor and Amy in them.

"And this is why you clear your history every week." Rory quipped as he took out his cellphone. After hitting 1 on speed dial, Rory put the phone to his ear and waited.

He watched through the surveillance footage as, unbeknownst to the bat guy, Amy pulled out her own cell phone. As she opened it, her lips on the video synched perfectly with her voice through the phone as she whispered, "Rory?"

"Amy, I can open the cells. Are you ready?"

"Alright, we're ready."

She spoke too loud. The man in the bat costume turned around and saw Amy just as she put away her phone. Quickly, Rory scrolled to the holding cell controls and pressed OPEN ALL CELLS. This was it.

The Doctor reacted, tackling the bat guy into Amy's cell while Amy ran out. Before their captor could get back up, Rory locked the holding cells once again, trapping the bat guy in his own prison. The Doctor's voice came through the phone, congratulating Rory, before the two ran out of the cell block.

As he swiveled to the right, Rory could see the Doctor and Amy appear on the nearby catwalk before bounding down the stairs, giddy as children who had just avoided getting caught from a successful prank. Rory got up from the chair only to almost fall back into it when his wife hugged him at top speed.

"Rory, you're amazing!" Amy laughed, squeezing him tight.

Rory let out a small gasp for breath, unable to breathe through the hug, before Amy finally let him go.

"Well, now that that's over with," The Doctor smiled before holding up his sonic screwdriver, "let's see what this place is all about."

"Uh, Doctor, before you do that," Rory began.

"Not now, Rory!" The Doctor interrupted him, waving his free hand at his companion while his other hand pointed the sonic screwdriver at the computer.

"But it's kind of impor—."

The sound of wood splintering in half shattered the air inside the cave. The three travelers quickly turned their heads as one toward the TARDIS to see the doors swing wide open. As the shattered pieces of a bo staff clattered to the ground, the boy in the black and blue costume marched out of the time machine, cracking his knuckles as he sized up his opponents.

"So," Nightwing growled, cracking his neck from side to side as well, "Who's first?"

"Never mind." Rory managed to mutter.

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews! Praise, criticism, everything is welcome.**


	6. Act 1 Chapter 5

Trapped inside his own prison. Ironic. Almost humorous. But Batman had no time for humor.

It took Batman four seconds to analyze the situation. He was trapped. His prisoners had escaped. They had somehow snuck in a third accomplice. And that accomplice had opened the doors remotely.

Possibilities: EMP blast? No, the cells were still working. Hacked the cave from outside? No, the Batcomputer's systems prevented that. The Batcomputer…

Quickly, Batman turned to his right gauntlet and opened it up, displaying a small monitor and keyboard that was connected directly to the super computer. The holding cell window was open, meaning somehow, the person named Rory must've incapacitated Nightwing and used it to free his allies. With a grunt of annoyance, Batman began typing the command to open the cells once again, only for his keyboard to become unresponsive.

"What the…"

His monitor went black. Then, like ants swarming out of their hole, windows popped up on the screen, dozens every second. Batman furiously tapped away at the keyboard, trying to stem the flow of data, before finally realizing he was well and truly locked out. The Doctor had outhacked him.

Batman slapped the gauntlet computer closed and immediately examined his surroundings. Steel walls, built right into the cave, with a bulletproof glass door sealing him inside. He'd have to make it out of the cell if he wanted to stop the intruder from copying the most extensive criminal information source on the planet. Luckily, the Doctor had made one fatal mistake.

He left Batman his utility belt.

His hands instantly were at his sides. From his left, he pulled out a batarang that unfolded like a knife popping out of a switchblade. From his right, a handheld spraying device with a can of explosive gel already attached.

All glass, even the bulletproof kind the holding cells implemented, maintained a small degree of flexibility in order to withstand impact without shattering. However, that flexibility is lost when a sharp enough object collides with it on a single point.

Which was why Batman was now spraying a small dot of gel onto the glass. Taking a step back, the costumed crusader gripped the batarang in his gloved fist and held it back like a dagger. His eyes focused on the pinprick target he had made. He would have to hit it exactly, like pushing a string through the eye of a needle, except with enough force to break a man's ribcage.

Then, like a snake from the grass, he struck.

…

…

…

The Doctor's eyes widened at the sight of the young man kicking open his TARDIS. How he got in there in the first place was something he'd have to talk about to Rory later, but as the boy in blue-and-black tights cracked his knuckles and neck, the Doctor had a feeling this wasn't the time.

"Well, hello there!" The Doctor greeted, sonic screwdriver still vibrating in his hand as it continued to copy the data from the supercomputer onto its hard drive. "You must be…"

"Nightwing." The boy grinned mischievously. "And that's my friend's computer you're hacking into."

His eyes drifted while he spoke, hidden by the mask while he predicted his next few moves. To his left was the man who had locked him in the box in the first place. He stood in front of the red-haired woman, holding his back behind him as if to keep her back.

"Doctor?" Rory mumbled through the corner of his lip.

"Keep him busy Rory!" The Doctor shouted, turning back to the computer.

That was his cue.

With the grace of a leopard, Nightwing leaned forward before shooting toward his prey. Rory managed to jump into his path, fist raised for a punch. Lightning fast, Nightwing grabbed his arm and flipped him into the air, throwing him into a nearby railing. Rory's back collided with the metal, knocking the air from his lungs and forcing him to gasp for breath.

"No one does that to my husband!" Amy yelled.

Drawing a can of mace from her skirt, Amy pointed it at her attacker with thumb on the trigger. Before she could fire it, Nightwing moved toward her, so fast he became a blur. Amy pressed down, spraying empty air as Nightwing appeared right next to her and swatted the can from her hand.

Amy let out an involuntary squeak of panic. Taking a step back, she swung her left hand to try and slap Nightwing only for him to grab her wrist in a steel grip. Now right in front of her, Nightwing stuck out his left hand's middle and index finger and jabbed a pressure point in her neck. Amy's eyes widened for a split second before they immediately rolled back and closed.

_She was kind of hot_, Nightwing thought as he let go of her arm and let her drop to the ground. _In a Harley Quinn sort of way._

"Amy!" A voice behind him cried.

Nightwing turned around just in time to catch the punch that was mere inches from his face with his right hand. His brain went into self-defense mode, pushing the fist away while his right arm sucker-punched his attacker's chest.

Rory Williams gasped once again, dropping to his knees as he clenched at his most likely broken ribs. Nightwing glanced at the man kneeling in front of him before raising his foot and swiftly kicking him in the face, knocking Rory out.

Two down, one to go.

An unexpected shiver raced down Nightwing's spine. As he spun around toward the supercomputer, he could see the man called The Doctor glaring at him, his face remaining calm while his eyes…

He had seen those eyes before. Insane yet genius. Old and filled with the rage no normal human being could ever possess. When his plans failed, when Batman saved everyone, when he didn't get his 'fun'…

Those were the eyes of an angry Joker.

"You really, really shouldn't have done that." The Doctor said, his voice so low he was almost muttering.

Nightwing leaned forward again, ready to pounce on the intruder and end this once and for all, when a large metallic body crashed to the ground in front of him. Nightwing jumped back in surprise just as another one landed behind him. Like chess pieces placed on a board, metal men of all sizes, from 4 feet to 9, dropped from above and surrounded Nightwing on all sides. As the vigilante looked around, he recognized them immediately.

Training androids. Dozens of them.

The Doctor let out a hollow smile and said, "Let's see how you like being knocked around."


	7. Act 1 Chapter 6

The shattered glass of his holding cell door crunched under Batman's heel as he ran over it to escape. He would have to pay to have that renovated, another thing to do on Bruce Wayne's steadily growing list. But Batman had only one desire in mind, one goal he needed to accomplish.

Stop the Doctor.

With a batarang in hand, Batman dashed out onto one of the Batcave's walkways before stopping dead in his tracks. Below him, on the Batcave's main floor, was a scene of utter chaos. The Batcomputer's monitor was loaded with programs, as if every file in it had been opened up at once. In front of it, dozens of training androids swarmed the platform, surrounding Nightwing as he dodged their relentless assault. Batman felt the tiniest glimmer of pride watching his former sidekick weave between their punches while still managing to throw in his own.

Batman's eyes instantly shifted away. Nightwing could handle himself. What was important was finding the Doctor.

And there he was. The man in the bowtie clung to one of the opened doors on the TARDIS, hanging off it while he stared directly up at Batman. Behind him stood one of the training androids, the Doctor's two companions draped over its shoulders. Batman and the Doctor locked eyes, both of their faces set in the grim hatred only men who'd seen true despair could maintain. The moment passed, and the Doctor instantly changed back into his mock cheerfulness.

"Well, thanks for letting us stay, but we really…"

Batman cut him off, flinging the batarang straight at him. Instantly, the Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver and, with a spark, sent the batarang flying to the side. The Doctor's expression turned fearful.

"…have to be going."

Batman grunted in frustration as the Doctor and the android carrying his henchmen escaped into the blue police box. Vaulting over the railing, the caped crusader dropped down to the platform below in front of the TARDIS. He grabbed the door handles and shook it furiously. Locked.

Maybe he could pick the lock. No, he'd already tried that, all his lockpicks were vaporized. Kick the door down? The sign said pull, so he'd have to break not only the lock, but the doors down themselves. Explosive gel? Maybe that could destroy the lock.

Something was behind him. Batman sidestepped, narrowly dodging the robotic fist that flew over his shoulder and punched the TARDIS door. Batman jumped back and watched the robot pull its fist back.

There wasn't even a dent in the door. Whatever this box was made of, it wasn't wood.

The android charged at him. Like an outlaw in a Western, Batman unholstered his EMP cannon and fired a ball right into the robot's chest, frying its circuits. As it crashed to the ground, Batman could see Nightwing had taken out the rest, now standing atop a pile of broken metal and frayed wires.

"Looks like we're going to need some more training dummies." Nightwing smirked.

Batman ignored him, instead charging over to the Batcomputer. When he got to the keyboard, his gloved fingers flew over the keys as he closed countless window after window, searching for the one he needed.

"What's the plan?" Nightwing shouted over his shoulder as he struggled to open the TARDIS doors.

"This Doctor made another mistake." Batman explained as he finally found the window he was looking for. Taking the mouse, he clicked on 'Manual Control' and then turned back to Nightwing.

"He took one of my robots."

…

…

…

"Cmon, wake up time Rory, wake up now."

The Doctor stood over his two companions who were lying parallel to each other on the floor. He had Rory's face in his hands, shaking it up and down while lightly slapping his cheek. In hindsight, what he was doing probably wasn't helping at all, but there wasn't much else he could do. As he debated on having the android give Rory CPR, Amy's eyes fluttered open.

"Ugh…Doctor?" Amy groaned, holding her forehead as she sat up. "What happened?"

"We got our butts kicked by a kid in tights, Amy." The Doctor explained as he opened Rory's eyelid and started snapping his fingers in front of it.

Amy's eyes looked to the ground beside her and widened. "Is Rory okay?"

Standing back up, the Doctor quickly took out his sonic screwdriver and waved it over Rory's body.

"It looks like…" The Doctor began, looking at what the screwdriver scanned, "some broken ribs, a broken jaw, and a possible concussion."

"What?" Amy shouted as she scrambled to get a better look at her husband. Poor Rory…

"Don't worry, once we get out of here, I'll take him to the New New York hospital and we'll make sure he's okay." The Doctor explained as he turned to the TARDIS controls.

Amy stood up. "But you're a doctor. Can't you help him?"

Spinning around, the Doctor pointed his screwdriver at the robot, causing it to stand at attention. "Take Rory to the TARDIS med-bay, which is the hallway to your left and take two rights." He ordered. "Give him—."

The robot charged at the Doctor. Before the Doctor could react, the android tackled him into the TARDIS console and, grabbing his face, bashed the back of his head into the nearby monitor. Amy let out a cry of fright as high pitched as the shattering glass of the screen. The Doctor's sonic screwdriver flew out of his hand, knocked out by the force of the impact.

"Doctor!" Amy screamed.

The Time Lord struggled under the android's grip, trying to release the hands that were gripped so tightly on his forehead and neck, to no avail. He could feel the metal as the android's hand constricted on his windpipe like a python. The breath wouldn't come. He was going to suffocate!

"A…my…" The Doctor rasped, struggling to force the words out. "Sonic…screw…"

Amy looked down to see the sonic screwdriver at her feet. Quickly, she picked up the cylindrical device and pointed it at the android, only to realize she had no idea how to use it.

"Third…button…on…" He could barely get the words out now. His vision was turning fuzzy, like the second after you've had your picture taken, and he had to gasp the last word out as if it was his dying breath. "…top…"

Amy pressed it. The screwdriver flashed green, illuminating the android with the glow of a weak flashlight. As soon as it did, the robot tensed up, stabbed by some unseen force, before going completely still.

With a grunt of desperation, the Doctor lifted the robot off of him and then dropped it to the side. The full weight of the thing sent it crashing through one of the glass sections of the platform and into the wires below. The Doctor shielded his eyes as smoke and sparks erupted from the impact before stepping back to Amy Pond.

Now that it was over, Amy took the Doctor's shoulders and looked over him. He was unsteady, practically leaning on her to support himself. Blood poured from the glass cuts on his head, bleeding down his face and his drooped over eyes. He coughed every so often, still struggling to breath after having his windpipe almost crushed. Worry etched itself into Amy's face. This was not good.

"Doctor, we have to go." Amy shook him gently, trying to keep him awake.

The Doctor's eyes sprung open like he'd been shocked. "Right!" He gestured, still slurred in his movements. "But not before I do something else."

Grabbing the screwdriver from Amy's hand, he wobbled over to the TARDIS console and plugged the tool in. Amy stood behind him, looking over his shoulder at the screen he was using, the only other one that wasn't shattered. A progress bar appeared on the screen, a green line moving quickly to the right.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked, worry still fixed in her features. "We have to get you and Rory to a hospital."

"I'm taking control of the supercomputer." The Doctor answered, ignoring her last statement.

"Why?"

He pressed Enter. "So I can do this."


	8. Act 1 Chapter 7

Batman bashed the keyboard with his fist in frustration. The signal to his robot had been cut, and now he had no way of getting inside the blue box. This Doctor was clever, always having a counterattack to whatever Batman did. Just like the Joker.

He gritted his teeth, almost snarling. No. Joker was dead. The Doctor was just another psychopath.

"Nightwing, did you manage to do anything while you were trapped inside the police box?" Batman asked, forming a plan of action.

"Yeah I—wait, how did you know I was in the police box?" Nightwing said, raising an eyebrow.

Batman glanced over his shoulder, his grim expression unchanging. "Your staff is broken."

Nightwing was about to object before remembering who he was talking to. Batman was a detective at heart. He pieced together greater things with less evidence before.

"I managed to place a tracker in there, in case they escaped."

"Anything else?"

"No."

A backup plan. Unless the Doctor somehow found Nightwing's bug, which he probably would given enough time. No, he needed something now. But what did he have?

As Batman racked his brain for a solution, a move he could take, an element overlooked, a window popped up on the Batcomputer's monitor. Nightwing and Batman looked up in time to see what looked like a video call. The screen focused, carving an image from the static, to reveal the haggard form of the Doctor.

"Hello Batman." The Doctor announced.

…

…

…

It was getting hard to see. The blood pouring from his scalp wound was now getting into his eyes and clumping his hair into dried up mats. It wasn't that serious of a wound, blows to the head just always bled a lot. Still, it wouldn't have hurt to go to a hospital.

But the Doctor had something he needed to do first. As the call connected and the image of the two men in tights appeared on the monitor, he put on another fake smile and greeted his previous captors.

"Hello Batman."

"What do you want?" Batman growled, his eyes narrowing under his cowl.

"Well, I like to do this thing where I give my enemies a chance to say they're sorry before letting them run off with their tails between their legs." The Doctor looked up in thought. "They never do take that chance, now that I think about it."

"You trespassed into my Batcave, hacked into my computer, stole my files," Batman began, his voice rising steadily, "and you want me to say sorry?"

"Well, I didn't say I was giving you that chance."

The Doctor turned his monitor to show the unconscious and badly bruised Rory.

"You see, you really messed up my friend here." The Doctor explained while he held onto the monitor to keep himself from collapsing. He turned the screen back around and continued. "And your robot did a number on me. So before I go, I figured I'd return the favor."

Amy quickly turned to the time lord and said, "Doctor, what are you doing?"

The Doctor glanced over at Amy. "Giving them one final message."

He pressed a button. A countdown clock appeared on the Batcomputer's monitor. The Doctor turned to the Batman, his smile gone.

"Run."

…

…

…

The footage cut off, leaving only the countdown clock to remain. Batman almost lost his composure while Nightwing gasped. The Batcave self-destruct. The clock counted down from one minute.

"Nightwing, get to the Batmobile." Batman ordered.

Nightwing nodded and dashed to their vehicle without a word. Instantly, Batman threw himself onto the keyboard, desperately trying to enable the shutdown sequence for the self-destruct. However, just like earlier in his cell, Batman found himself being hacked out of the computer at every turn.

He seethed in frustration. How could he be tested like this again? No matter what he did, the Doctor predicted what he would do and instantly counterattacked.

Forty-five seconds were left on the countdown, and he was at another stalemate. If he didn't come up with something fast, the Doctor's machine would disappear just in time to escape the Batcave's explosion. Once again, he went over the elements.

He needed to get inside the TARDIS. However, he was locked out of his Batcomputer and his android was deactivated. The door couldn't be opened by lockpick, explosive, or android fist. The police box held up against any blow he gave it. It was practically invulnerable.

But maybe…he could use that to his advantage.

"Nightwing." Batman spoke through the communicator in his cowl.

"I'm in the Batmobile." Nightwing replied. The car's lights flared to life in acknowledgement, the roar of its engines echoing inside the cave.

"Good." Batman nodded, still thinking over what he was about to do. "Now aim it at the Doctor's machine."

There was a silence, the only sound being the Batmobile and the beeping of the countdown clock as it reached thirty seconds.

Nightwing finally answered, "Come again?"

"Aim the Batmobile at the police box, and at my signal…" Batman ordered.

"Fire."

…

…

…

This was turning out to be a really long minute for the Doctor.

Already dazed and only clinging to consciousness by its coattails, he still somehow managed to find the strength in him to dart around the center console and press the necessary buttons, levers, and switches for a quick temporal jump. His struggle to not only concentrate on the given task but also keep himself standing up was made all the more worse by his companion nagging at him while he did so.

"Doctor, you need to shut off the self-destruct." Amy shouted, hurrying to keep pace with the Doctor.

"Amy, you saw what they did to Rory." The Doctor said as he twisted a knob that slightly resembled the water valve in a shower. His hands went to his bloody forehead. "Not to mention me."

"Well it wasn't totally unprovoked."

This stopped the Doctor in his tracks. Spinning around with a confused look on his face, the Doctor asked, "Wasn't unprovoked?"

"We have no idea who this man is," Amy explained, "and we trespassed on his property and stole his stuff. I'd be mad too if someone did that."

"Amy, we are dealing with a man who wears a leather costume, lives in a cave, and has enough hardware to take down a Dalek." The Doctor answered, turning back to the console. "He's obviously up to no good."

"But we don't know that!"

Something large hit the TARDIS. A deafening boom erupted inside the room, shattering the pair's eardrums. The lights flickered as sparks exploded from the walls. The Doctor and Amy flew into the air as the entire room upended itself, as if gravity had just been turned off. For a brief moment, the Doctor felt truly weightless as his body hung in the air, like he had stepped out of the TARDIS into space.

Until the TARDIS landed on its side and the Doctor fell face first into the coral on the wall.


End file.
